Railway-vehicle coupling.



W. RUNDLE.

RAILWAY VEHICLE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17. 1910.

1,1 53,577 Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH 60.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

w. BUNDLE.

RAILWAY VEHICLE COUPLING.

APPLlCATlON FILED SEPT-17.1910.

1,153,577; Patented Sept 11, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' W. RUNDLE.

RAILWAY VEHICLE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-17, 19:0.

1 1 53,577. Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

wires s'rnrns rnrnnr onrrcn.

WILLIAM BUNDLE, 01E JOHANN'ESBURG, TRAN SVAAL, SOUTH AFRICA.

RAILWAY VEI-IIGLE COUPLING.

Specification of Iletters Patent.

Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

Application filed September 17, 1910. Serial N 0. 582,538;

To all whom it concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM BUNDLE, a

subject of the King of Great Britain, and

7 automatic coupling, or one which will operate unaided to couple the vehicles when they come into contact, and 1n which the uncoupling thereof can be efi'ected from the side of the vehicles or without passing in be.

tween them. y An important feature of my improved 1 coupling is that it; is so constructed that the automatic coupling of the vehiclescan take. place even though the couplings are fixed within a comparatively large range at i difierentheights.

aid of the 25.

The invention will be fully described by Figure 1 is. a side elevation of; the com the structure shown in Fig. 1 on line waa.

V Fig. is a plan view ofthe link engaging:

member, detached. Fig.6 is an elevation of terbalance weight.

tionof Fig. 8. F ig. is a side elevationof the locking pin for the link engaging mem ber. Fig. 11 is a side elevation of Fig. 10.,

the link engaging member as. seen from the inside. Fig. I is a, plan View of the link engaging member asseen. from the underside. F ig, 8 isa side elevation of thecoun- Fig. 91s an end eleva- Fig.: 12 -ill,ustrates a modified form of; the link or; couplingrmember constructed at one end for use with myimproved coupling, and at the other end for; connecting with any ordinary link coupling, Fig. 13 is. a horizontal sectionofthe structure shown-1n F1 g. 1, on line g 1z and Fig. 14 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the vehicle illustrating the; mode of fixingthe coupling thereto.

In the drawings 1 represents a. coupler head which may be made of circular, (as shown.) or other suitable shape. The conpler head 1 is fashioned at the back with a part-2 of rectangular or other suitable section bymeans of which the coupler head and accompanying: drawing, in

. tral position. The coupler head threaded. extension 3 of said part 2 and between said collar 2 and a plate 3 fixed between the two members 2" of the underframe by means of the pieces 3 Extension 3 projectsthrough a hole 3 in plate 3, and on the threaded extremity thereof is screwed the usual nut 4 for fixing the coupler head and coupling to the under-framesee more particularly Fig. 14.

The numerals 4, 4 4 in Fig. 14 represent the bottom, end and side of the car, and the dotted line 5 in Figs. 1, 2 and 13 represents theend of the car.

The coupler head 1 is constructed with a flared or bell-mouthed opening or recess 6 extending rearwardly into the coupler head for a suitable distance, and at one side with an. opening 7 communicating with said recess in, which .is pivoted a member 8 which constitutes the part which is engaged by one end of the link or coupling bar 9 when the latter is. projected into the recess 6. The coupler head 1 isalso constructed at the top with a slot or opening 10 in portion of. a. counterbalance weight 11 which serves for maintaining the link or coupling bar 9 in a. more or less horizontal and cenl is constructed at the top and at the sides of the opening 10 with lugs or projections 12, 13, which support, a pin 14 which forms the pivot for the counterbalance weight 11. Coupler head 1 is also constructed at the top andon the open side with an extension or projection 15 in whichisformed a hole 16 for the reception of a pin 1'?- which serves for locking the member 8 when it is in engagement with thelink or coupling bar 9.

The part 8, which as previously stated constitutes the engaging member forthe end of the coupling bar 9, is pivoted in the opening 7 or open side of the coupler head by means of a vertical pin18 which passes through holes in horizontal extensions or lateral enlargements 19, 20 at, the top and bottom of the coupler head 1 on the open side. r

.The shape of the part or member 8 is clearly illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. Part which works a the same at both ends when the vehicles to 6 in the coupler or member 8 is fashioned on the inside of the coupler head with a projection 21 which is adapted to engage recess 22 provided near the end of the link or coupling bar9. Thls projection 21 is, as shown more particularly ,in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, rounded both back and front, preferably slightly more at theback than the front, to permit of the movement in eitheran upward or downward direction of thelink or coupling bar 9. The recess 22 in the sideof the link or coupling bar 9 with which the aforesaid projection 21 engages is also rounded on the one side as is indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 12.

The link or coupling bar 9 is constructed my improved bars can be constructed as shown 111 Fig. 12

be coupled are provided with for connecting with any ordinary link coupling. 9 is,

bottom and sides, so as to enter the recess headthe more readily, the beveled surfaces of the coupling bar and the flared opening 6 in the coupler head serving to guide the bar 9 into the position in which it engages the link engaging member;

.When the coupling bars are constructed at both ends for use with my improved "coupling then the recesses 22 engaging the projections 21 onthe members 8 will usually .be formed in opposite sides of said coupling bar. As shown in the drawings the coupling bar may be necked or reduced as in dicated at 23 between the recesses 22. The' ends of the bar are also preferably rounded as indicated at 24: in Fig. 12, as well as tapered or'beveled as previously explained, to

facilitate their entrance into the coupler heads.

Member 8-see Figs. 5, 6 and 7is con-' structed with a recess 25 which when projec-j tion 21 on member 8 is in engagement with the recess 22 inthe coupling bar 9 coincides with the hole 16 for the locking pin 17. Re

cess 25see Fig. 5is beveledon one side as indicated at 26 to correspond'to the lock-' ing pin 17 (which is also tapered or beveled 7 pin 17 with the recess 25. shaped on one sideas indicated at 27 in Fig. 11) and to facilitate the engagement of said locking The member 8 is or cut away at the bottom as indi-' cated in Figs. 5, 6, andi7 to form shoulders 28, 29 which, by engaging the side of the coupler-head at 30 limit the inward and outward movement of member 8. The outside of the coupler-head at 30 serves, by engaging the shoulder 28, to act as a stop for the member 8 in one direction'and, the inside'of the coupler head at 30 serves, by enlink The end of the link or coupling bar' as shown in Figsl, 2, 3 and 12, tapered or beveled in a forward direction at the top,

gaging shoulder 29, as a stop in the other direction. The member 8 is alsoshaped or cut awayat the top as indicated at 31 so as to permit itto rotate to the desired extent when pin 17 is raised out of recess 25, thereby reducing the extent of the vertical movement requisite to disengage pin 17 from said member 8. 'The shaping or cutting away of the member 8 at the top also forms upon it a shoulder 32 similar to the shoulder 29 on the bottom, which shoulder 32 operates like shoulder 29 to limit the 'movement of the member 8 in the one direction by engaging the inside of the coupler head at 33.

As indicated at 341 in Figs. 5 and 7 the surfaces formed by cutting away the top and bottomof member 8 are rounded, and the parts of the coupler head at 30, 33 are rounded on the inside where said parts contact with the rounded surfaces 3l'to facilitate the movement of member 8 about its pin 18. The member 8 at the inner top corner see Figs. 5, 6 and 13-is beveled off as indicated at 35 to facilitate its engagement bya proection 36 which is formed on the counterwelght l1 and works in the slot or opening 10 in the top of the coupler headl. The projection 36-see Figs. '8 and 9-is also beveled or rounded as indicated at 37 -on the side which engages member'S at 35.

The counterweight 11 as previously ,eX-- plained is free to move about the pin '14.

which is carried by the lugs 12, 13 formed" on the top of the couplerhead at the sides of said aperture 10. Theprojection 36-on the counterweight 11 operatesby engaging 'member 8 on the inside of the coupler head to prevent rotary movement of said" mem-- ber 8-which would result in its disengaging the coupling bar 9. The projection 36- rests upon or engages the top of the coupling bar 9 when the latter is in its coupling posi; tion or in engagement with member 8. The

projection 36, as indicated at 38 in Fig. 8, is rounded on that face which engages the top of the coupling bar 9 and theweight 11 operating through said projection 36 serves to maintain the coupling bar 9 ina substantially horizontal positionwhen said bar 9 is in engagement with member 8. The projection 36 is approximately equal to the width of the slot 10 in the top of the coupler headl, and the shoulders 39-formed at the sides of said projection 36 serve as stopsto limit the inward movement of said projection.

The counterweight 11 as shown in 1,;

2 and 8 is constructed on the underside'with a curved recess 4O with which a rod orspindle 41 engages. The'rodor spindle 41 also engages in a h0le42 formed in the upper end of the locking pin 17. i 1 On the rod or spindle ll -and between" the counterweight 11- and-locking pin 17 is-arranged one end of a link 43, the link loosely encircling the rod or spindle. The link 43 is attached to the end of a crank 44 provided on a spindle 45 carried by suitably positioned brackets 46 fixed on the end of the vehicle. The spindle 45 extends in a horizontal direction to the side of the vehicle and is provided with a handle 47 for rotating it in order to lift the counterweight 11 and at the same time withdraw the locking pin 17 from engagement with the member 8. Link 43 is constructed with an elongated slot 48 to provide for any desired adjustment of the parts, and the pin 17 is suitably shaped to allow for the movement thereof in the hole 16 when it is lifted to disengage slot 25.

The numeral 49 represents a link or its equivalent fixed to the back of the vehicle in such a position that the handle 47 can be placed in engagement with 'it to maintain the locking pin 17 and counterweight 11 in their disengaging positions. The projection 36 operates to retain member 8 in its engaging position with the coupling bar 9 until the counterweight 11 is raised by the handle 47.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the WVhat I claim as my invention and desire to protect by Letters Patent is In a coupling for railway vehicles, in combination, a coupler head, a coupling bar, an engaging member pivoted to the coupler head for engaging said coupling bar, a counterbalance weight which yieldingly maintains the bar in position, a pin for locking the engaging member when it is in engagement with the bar, and means for simultaneously disengaging the locking pin from the engaging member and the weight from the coupling bar, said means comprising a rod or spindle which engages in a curved recess formed in the underside of the counterweight and in a hole formed in the upper end of the locking pin, and a link loosely encircling the rod or spindle between the counterweight and locking pin.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM RUN DLE.

Witnesses W. S. Avns,

A. THoMPsoN.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

